April 28, 2010

Tonight's review is a cigar that is all the rage on the web since its release yesterday (see post below.) The NHC Seleccion Limitada is a project that Dan Welsh (@nhcdan on twitter), owner of New Havana Cigars, and Pete Johnson (@tatuajecigars on twitter), owner of Tatuaje Cigars, worked together on to create a house stick for New Havana Cigars.

Description of the collaboration from New Havana Cigars website:

The project came about as there were many boxes lingering at the factory, which were originally made for the tubos series in 2009. As luck has it, exactly 20 cigars at 6 3/4 x 42 fit in each side of the box with the tubos inserts removed. A short phone call and a few samples later and we were on board for this project. (OK - we were on board even before the samples even arrived, but after smoking them ... the excitement hit the roof)

There are two versions of the NHC Seleccion Limitada.One of them is rolled with a Habano wrapper and is called the Natural. The other, named the Reserva, is rolled with a Broadleaf wrapper. Both cigars are rolled at Don Pepin's My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. I have smoked each of these cigars once already and I can tell you, even before this review, that they may be the same filler blend, but they have two distinct flavor profiles. Dan hooked me up with a few samples of each and I want to give him a very public and loud thank you for giving me first dibs on their reviews.

My NHC Seleccion Limitada Natural had a milk chocolate-colored wrapper that was smooth to the touch, but still had a lot of small, visible veins running all over it. The band on the cigar was understated and had that classic cuban style to it. This was a long vitola and, when pinched from head to foot, felt evenly packed. The pre-lit aroma consisted of some rich earthy smells mixed in with hints of cedar. I easily clipped the expertly-applied triple-capped head. The pre-lit draw was free with just a bit of resistance. The flavors I got from the cold draw were a strong mix of woodiness and sweet natural tobacco.

First Third

I used a soft flame lighter to light my NHC Seleccion Limitada Natural. The cigar immediately produced a large volume of smoke.The draw was perfect with strong initial flavors. I picked up a lot of mild black pepper (that classic Tatuaje flavor) with strong notes of cedar and honey. It was not a sweet honey, but more of what I can only think of as raw, pure honey. The finish on the cigar was very smooth on the palette and left some lingering spice on my tongue for about a minute after exhaling. The burn started a little wavy but corrected itself with no problems while resting between puffs. The ash was tight and held on for about an inch during the first third. I would say the body was a solid medium. In comparison with other Pete Johnson sticks, it was much stronger in body than a El Triunfador, but no where near a Havana Cazadore.

Second Third

The second third of my NHC Seleccion Limitada Natural was similar to that of the first third, in that it had very strong flavors but the flavors themselves had changed. The black pepper and cedar had faded, leaving noticeable notes of raw honey blended with a very nice cinnamon hit. These two flavors mixed perfectly and had my taste buds at full attention. Right in the middle of the cigar, I got a few hints of coffee but that lasted no more then two or three puffs. One thing that was quite different in the second third was how long the ash held. I was smoking on a pretty breezy back deck and, as you can see from the picture above, the ash was strong. The body picked up ever so slightly, making the smoke even more relaxing.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third brought yet another flavor profile evolution. The mild black pepper had resurfaced and was accompanied by a strong cedar taste on the forefront -- even more so than in the first third. I could still distinguish the honey and cinnamon notes, but they were nowhere as pronounced as they were in the second third. The finish on the cigar changed a bit, too. On the exhale, I got a slight tingling feeling on my tongue. I thought it was worth mentioning, to see if anyone else gets this. Right down to the nub, the cedar took over and was the only flavor coming through. The body stayed consistent to the second third with a relaxing medium to medium-full.

My final impression of the NHC Seleccion Limitada Natural is this is a home run kind of cigar. Pepin, Pete, and Dan have really done wonders with choosing this blend and created a very complex and strong-flavored stick. Speaking of the blend, the quote from the New Havana Cigars website says that it is "based on an original Tatuaje blend." I have no doubt in my mind that this is based on THE original Tatuaje blend, the La Seleccion de Cazador, or better know as, the brown label. Which blend within the brown label, I have my guesses on but I'll leave that up to you to form your own opinions. If I can give one piece of advice on this cigar, it is to smoke it slow and take your time. This stick has lots of flavors that are in your face, but when smoked slowly, they really melt into each other creating a very interesting and relaxing experience.

Would I buy it again? I would buy a lot of these cigars. A soon-to-be classic Tatuaje cigar at $7.20 a pop (in box purchase price) I don't see how you can beat that. The only problem is, once people start smoking these, I don't think they are going to be around for very long.

Last night I went over to New Havana Cigars HQ to celebrate a day that I'd been looking forward to for a long time. Funny thing is, I had been looking forward to two different days, but they turned out to be all wrapped into one...The day the NHC Seleccion Limitadas arrived and the day the Illusione Nosotros arrived. I can't think of any other cigars I'd anticipated more than these three. I'll have reviews of all the sticks up in the next couple days, but until then, here are some photos.

April 24, 2010

Last night I hung out over at New Havana Cigars HQ with Dan (@NHCDAN on twitter) and he hooked me up with a preview of his NHC Seleccion Limitada stick. He asked me not to do a detailed review until I get one of the full production sticks that are due in next week, but said I could post some first thoughts.

First thoughts...
Love the size.
Burns like a champ; tightly packed and holds a firm ash.
Starts out with some Nicaraguan zing and bold thick smoke.
Smoke mellows out and has a really strong, nice, clean sweetness.

If you like Tatuaje, you're going to love this. I'll leave the rest of the details and flavors until my full review. Some (iphone) picture below.

April 12, 2010

Friday night House Of Cigar (twitter link) hosted a event for the popular Brick House cigar. Although I am not a huge fan of this stick, it was still a good time hanging out with the guys and smoking a cigar. Some pictures of the event below:

April 8, 2010

Today's review cigar was sent to me in a trade about four months ago. I'd been looking forward to trying this stick, but somehow it just had slipped through the cracks. The La Herencia Cubana Oscure Fuerte is another AJ Fernandez blend (of Man O War/Diesel fame) and is listed as a more powerful extenstion of the regular La Herencia Cubana line. This cigar uses the increasingly popular Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper and a mix of Nicaraguan fillers from three different regions of the country. I've waited long enough to try this stick, so let's get on with the review.

My La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte was a very hefty stick. The firmness of the roll mixed with the 52 ring gauge made this robusto vitola feel very heavy in my hand. The wrapper was smooth, oily, and had a well-fermented dark brown color. The pre-lit aroma was a very strong earthy, barnyard smell and the pre-lit draw had a similar taste. The flavor was not very pleasant, so I wasted no time in lighting it up.

First Third

This La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte lit up very easily even with using a standard lighter and not my normal triple flame torch. The cigar instantly started to produce a strong chili pepper spice which sat heavily in the back of my throat. Mixed with the chili pepper spice was a slight bitter cocoa flavor that. although bitter, was a nice taste. The smoke texture was somewhat dry and had me reaching for my water after every two or three puffs. The body was full. I could tell right from the start that this was going to be a strong cigar. As you can see from the picture above, the construction was top notch and the ash strong enough to hold on for well over an inch.

Second Third

I found the second third of my La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte to be much more pleasing in flavors. The spice had mellowed a lot and I was now getting a strong espresso flavor to mix with the cocoa. Both of these flavors were very strong and I'm sure even a person new to cigar smoking could pick these out. With that said, I would not recommend this cigar to beginners because it had some serious power. The body was in the upper full range and I started to feel the effects of nicotine in my system towards the end of the second third. The construction was still perfect and the burn line razor sharp.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte was too strong in strength for my preferences. The flavors were still very tasty with espresso and cocoa notes dominating my palette, but the body was too much for me. I didn't make it all the way to the nub of this cigar because I started to get a headache and a little bit of the jitters.

My final thoughts of the La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte? This is a really strong cigar. I think if you like really strong cigars you would really enjoy this stick. Once you get past the start and the spice starts to mellow out, the espresso and cocoa are nice tastes. Add in the extremely affordable price tag and this cigar is a no-brainer. For me personally, the strength of this particular stick was just too much.

Would I buy it again? Although I liked the flavors and do like some full bodied cigars, I would not buy this one again.

April 5, 2010

So yes, it was only a week ago that I was at a CAO event, but I get to see my friend Miguel so few times a year that it makes every CAO event worthwhile.This time, the event was even more cool because he brought the new CAO/Sucker Punch Sally's Lady Liberty motorcycle with him. The wife and I couldn't pass up a chance to hang out with good company and check out this year's bike. So off to Woodland Cigars in Delaware, Ohio we went. Thanks to Woodland for hosting a great event and thanks again to Miguel for his generosity. Some pictures from the event below:

April 2, 2010

Tonight's cigar was given to me by Eddie Ortega (check his blog here), co-owner of EO cigars and one of the men behind this particular cigar. I had the privilege to meet him a few weeks back at a local cigar event (posted here). The 601 Blue is another Don Pepin-constructed cigar made in Esteli and, if it's like most other Pepin-made sticks, I'm sure the construction is fantastic. I've smoked a lot of the Murcielago cigar from EO, but haven't had many experiences with the 601 line. Tonight marked my first 601 Blue, so let's see how it went.

My 601 Blue cigar was an attractive cigar. The chocolaty brown wrapper was pretty consistent, aside from a few lighter spots close to the head and one prominent vein. The band that 601 uses on the stick really stands out with it's bright colors and and makes the cigar eye catching. Pinching the stick from head to foot, it had no soft spots and was tightly packed. The pre-lit aroma was sweet tobacco and almost barnyard-y, especially closer to the open foot. Once clipped, the pre-lit draw was free and tasted strongly like earthy, sweet tobacco.

First Third

After an easy, even torching of the foot, the 601 Blue opened up with strong, thick, dense smoke. The draw was perfect and the burn excellent. The initial flavors were also very strong and tasted of roasted nuts, mixed with strong flavors of cocoa on the finish. Although the smoke was very thick and the flavors very strong, the cigar felt clean on my palate and never overwhelming. The ash was tight and held on for over an inch and a half. The body was medium to medium-full.
Second Third

The second third of my 601 Blue was similar to the first third in smoke volume and strength, but a new flavor had emerged. I was still tasting the roasted nuts and the cocoa, but now I was also starting to get some coffee flavors added into the mix. One thing worth mentioning was a difference in the smoke: the texture now felt a little more creamy, where as in the first third, it was a little dry. Overall, this cigar became more complex and even more enjoyable. The burn was razor sharp and the ash was one of the strongest I've seen in awhile.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my 601 Blue threw me for a bit of a loop. The strength of the cigar picked up into the full range and the flavors completely switched up on me. All of the roasted nut/cocoa flavors had dissipated and I was now tasting lots of coffee and leather, which I didn't see coming. The smoke volume was still large and the burn was as perfect as you can get. The stick did get a little hot towards the end, but that could have been due to the wind picking up outside forcing the cigar to burn faster.

My final impression of the 601 Blue from EO Cigars? This is a great cigar. The flavors were strong and, although I preferred the first and second thirds over the final third, the little switch up at the end made this experience even more interesting. Enough good cannot be said about the construction of this stick. I never had to touch flame to this cigar after the initial lighting and only had to ash the stick twice before nubbing it. I would recommend this cigar to anyone who has time to sit back, relax, and really experience what a strong, flavorful smoke brings to the table.

Would I buy it again? I will most certainly buy this cigar again.Would I buy a box? $150ish a box it is out of my budget, but I would gladly do a five pack or a split with another BOTL.